Jim Moriarty: On getting back on the horse...

Actor Jim Moriarty cut his teeth on the early dramas Pukemanu and Close to Home, then went on to appear in a number of other TV projects such as Inside Straight and City Life. He has starred in films The Strength of Water, No Petrol No Diesel, and played Jesus in Saving Grace. As well as acting, Moriarty has directed in television and theatre, and works with at risk Māori youth.

In this ScreenTalk, Moriarty talks about:

• How actors were allowed to help develop the scripts on Close to Home
• Incorporating political and social issues into the show
• Being thrown from a horse on the set of The Lie of the Land
• Making ‘love’ the central focus of playing Jesus in Saving Grace
• Being given the freedom to improvise while making The Waimate Conspiracy
• How the film No Petrol No Diesel gave at risk youth a chance of participating in the industry
• Having an emotional reaction to the story in The Strength of Water
• Not regretting turning down the role of Jake in Once Were Warriors

This video was first uploaded on 13 December 2011, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview, Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside